Liddle Stabbing Probed as Sentencing Delayed

William Liddle has claimed that he was stabbed by an unseen assailant on the day he was scheduled to be sentenced in court.

The judge ordered documentation confirming the stabbing, and gave Liddle a new sentencing date of June 1. The stabbing incident reportedly occurred on May 21.

Liddle is a former vice president of lending at AEA Federal Credit Union. He was found guilty to several counts including fraud for his role in a million-dollar loan kickback scheme that led to the conservatorship and near collapse of the $245 million credit union in Yuma, Ariz.

The Phoenix Police Department had questions about the timing of the stabbing, according to several local media reports.

Liddle said he was working on a fence behind his home May 21 when someone reached behind and stabbed him in the chest. He told police that the weapon was a butterfly type knife, but he did not see the attacker.

Liddle was released from the hospital May 22 after being treated for a non-life threatening injury.

Both police and U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton questioned the timing of the incident given that Liddle was scheduled to be sentenced May 21. Bolton informed Liddle’s attorney, David Eisenberg, that she would issue a warrant for Liddle’s arrest if she did not receive documentation of the incident.

While the new sentencing date is June 1, a restitution hearing is set for June 19.

Liddle’s wife, Rhonda, was sentenced May 21 to 12 months’ home incarceration and five years of supervised release for her role in the loan scheme.